Gomawild at cheetah experience reserve

During a trip to South Africa, the Gomawild team had the opportunity to discover the Cheetah Experience Reserve in Bela Bela.

We were warmly welcomed by the reserve’s team to learn more about their project, their bond with the animals, and to help them raise their profile and spread their passion for animal conservation.

Located on a 12-hectare farm, the reserve protects and cares for more than 100 animals. The project was founded by Ryana Magdala, a South African with a deep passion for wild cats - especially cheetahs.

View of a part of the Cheetah Experience reserve

Cheetah experience started with a simple observation: cheetahs are an endangered species in South Africa, due to their often fragile genetics and the many threats they face. Cheetah numbers have been steadily declining across various regions of Africa, including South Africa. Their population has dropped from 100,000 individuals in the 20th century to fewer than 8,000 in 2023.

Ryana’s goal in launching this project was to protect, develop, and strengthen the species by providing a safe environment for cheetahs, while preserving a natural setting that closely resembles their wild habitat.

By carefully looking after cheetahs at the reserve, from infancy to adulthood, CE not only helps them grow, develop, and gain strength, but also encourages successful reproduction. The reserve therefore enables the birth of new cheetahs, helping to increase the population. By reintroducing cheetahs with strong genetics into their natural habitats, CE also supports the growth of the species in the wild.

Cheetah cubs born in Cheetah Experience

The reserve, originally located in Bloemfontein, relocated in 2020–2021 to offer more space and a better environment for the animals it cares for.

Over the years, CC has also taken in other cats — injured, in poor condition, or rescued from places where their lives were much harder. These include around 15 leopards, along with a few lions, servals, and caracals.

Ryana and the reserve staff are supported by a team of volunteers who come from all over the world to work for a few weeks or months throughout the year. Volunteers and CC staff are involved in all the reserve’s daily tasks, starting early each morning: preparing food, distributing meals to the animals, providing enrichment activities, organizing educational visits for occasional visitors, and maintaining the reserve itself.

Volunteers who wish to can also spend entire days with the animals.

Animal food distribution with staff and volunteers

The Gomawild team, along with Discover Animal, also had the opportunity to take part in all these tasks, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in the life of the reserve and understand how it operates, in order to help as much as possible. It made us realize just how much time, patience, and above all, energy it takes to care for the animals — but also how much love they have to give in return

Cheetah Conservation, Ryana, and their fantastic teams have created a project that truly deserves our attention and support. With this in mind, we wanted to establish a long-term partnership to help give them greater visibility, support animal conservation efforts, and hopefully one day see cheetahs repopulate the regions of Africa in large numbers

You can also help Cheetah experience by becoming a volunteer, and by joining their page.